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High Roller (Ferris wheel)

Coordinates: 36°07′04″N 115°10′05″W / 36.117698°N 115.16815°W / 36.117698; -115.16815
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High Roller
High Roller
High Roller construction as of September 2013
Map
General information
StatusUnder construction
TypeFerris wheel
LocationLas Vegas Strip, Paradise, Nevada
OpeningSecond quarter of 2014[4]
Height550-foot tall (167.6 m)[1][2]
Dimensions
Diameter520-foot (160 m)[3]
Design and construction
EngineerArup Engineering[3]

High Roller is a 550-foot tall (167.6 m),[1][2] 520-foot (160 m) diameter[3] giant Ferris wheel announced in August 2011 as the centerpiece of Caesars Entertainment Corporation's $550 million The LINQ[5] on the Las Vegas Strip, Nevada.[6] Construction was originally scheduled to begin in September 2011 with completion expected in late 2013.[7] In February 2013 it was reported that the project was behind schedule and not expected to open until the second quarter of 2014.[4] The outer rim of the wheel was completed on September 9, 2013.[8]

High Roller under construction, March 2013

When completed, High Roller will be taller than the current world's tallest Ferris wheel,[9][6] the 541 ft (165 m) Singapore Flyer,[10] which opened to the public in March 2008.[11] Arup Engineering, which previously worked on the Singapore Flyer, is responsible for High Roller's structural plan.[3]

High Roller is currently under construction on Las Vegas Boulevard, across from Caesar's Palace, behind The Quad Resort and Casino (formerly the Imperial Palace) and the Flamingo Las Vegas on the site of the former O'Sheas Casino.[9] Passengers were originally expected to have to pay less than $20 per ride;[9] estimates had risen to "about $25 per person" by mid-2012 then "about $30 per person" in September 2013 news reports.[12] A full rotation of the wheel is expected to take about 30 minutes.[6]

Construction

High Roller's wheel comprises 28 sections, each 56 feet (17 m) long and weighing 44,000 pounds (20,000 kg). The final section of the outer rim was installed in early September 2013. Each section was temporarily held in place by a 275-foot (84 m) radial strut, later replaced by four cables.[13]

Main bearings

High Roller will rotate about a pair of custom-designed bearings, each weighing approximately 19,400 lb (8,800 kg), the largest spherical roller bearings ever produced by the SKF manufacturing facility in Gothenburg, Sweden. They have an outer diameter of 7.55 feet (2.30 m), an inner bore of 5.25 feet (1.60 m), and a width of 2.07 feet (0.63 m).[14]

Passenger cars

High Roller's passenger cars will be mounted outside the rim of the wheel and individually turned by electric motors to keep the floor horizontal throughout each 30-minute rotation.[15] This style of passenger car is usually referred to as a passenger capsule, but in High Roller's case the term passenger cabin is also widely used.

Early reports stated that High Roller was to have 32 passenger cars, each able to carry up to 40 people,[7] but later reports reduced this to 28 cars, again able to carry 40 people, giving a total capacity of 1,120 passengers.[9][16]

Each 225-square-foot (20.9 m2)[3] transparent spherical cabin[6] will weigh approximately 44,000 pounds (20,000 kg), have a diameter of 22 feet (6.7 m), include 300 square feet (28 m2) of glass, and be equipped with eight flat-screen televisions and an iPod dock.[17][16][9] To be supplied by Leitner-Poma of America and designed by French sister company Sigma, they are due to delivered to Caesars by November 2013.[9] Parent company Poma supplied, and Sigma also designed, the passenger capsules for the London Eye.[16][9]

Competing proposals

Skyvue
Main article: Skyvue

The Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel[18] is currently under construction. Originally announced as being 145 m (476 ft) tall,[19][9] it has since been reported to be 150 m (492 ft)[20] and 152.4 m [1][2] (500 ft).[21][22] Announced at a media event and groundbreaking ceremony in May 2011 by Howard Bulloch of Compass Investments, who stated "We expect it to be up and running in time for New Year's 2012",[19][23] the completion date has since been put back several times. In July 2012 it was reported that the opening was scheduled for New Year's Eve, 2013.[24]

Voyager

The 600-foot (180 m) Voyager[25] has been proposed several times for Las Vegas, but never built.[26]

References

  1. ^ a b c Las Vegas to build world's tallest observation wheel
  2. ^ a b c World's tallest observation wheel coming to Las Vegas
  3. ^ a b c d e Caesars pushing forward with High Roller observation wheel
  4. ^ a b Hurricane Sandy drives quarterly losses for Caesars
  5. ^ [1]
  6. ^ a b c d A vital Linq for Las Vegas
  7. ^ a b Las Vegas plans to top London Eye with massive Ferris wheel
  8. ^ [2]
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Colorado's Leitner-Poma to build cabins for huge observation wheel in Las Vegas
  10. ^ About Singapore Flyer
  11. ^ Singapore Flyer opens to the public from Saturday
  12. ^ [3]
  13. ^ [4]
  14. ^ "SKF Wins Contract for Caesars Las Vegas High Roller Wheel". Design News. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  15. ^ Colorado Company To Build Las Vegas Observation Wheel
  16. ^ a b c High-flying deal for Leitner-Poma
  17. ^ [5]
  18. ^ Skyvue Las Vegas to Soar 500 Feet above Strip - For Immediate Release
  19. ^ a b High stakes for dueling Vegas observation wheels
  20. ^ skyvuelasvegas.com
  21. ^ Developers begin next construction phase for SkyVue's 500-foot wheel
  22. ^ SkyVue Las Vegas Observation Wheel Completes First Phase Of Construction, Breaks Ground On Retail & Dining District
  23. ^ Dueling mega-Ferris wheels in Vegas
  24. ^ World's tallest observation wheel given the green light to be a high roller on Vegas strip
  25. ^ Voyager Entertainment International, Inc.
  26. ^ Voyager Las Vegas

36°07′04″N 115°10′05″W / 36.117698°N 115.16815°W / 36.117698; -115.16815

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